No matter where you live in the world, you must have heard about the strikes involving Hollywood screenwriters, who have now been joined by actors. Besides wage demands, there is above all a fear for jobs, as these professionals believe that their jobs could disappear with the use of artificial intelligence.
This fear can also be felt in the music industry, radio, technicians, editors, and many other professions. For now, artificial intelligences are not very skilled; at best, they can perform a certain number of tasks reasonably well, but without real talent. However, that is not taking into account the computing power that will arrive in two or three years and rapidly become widespread among all of us.
The computational power of quantum computers will inevitably put a large number of jobs at real risk, and for the first time, without creating new ones. One doesn’t need to be a fortune-teller to imagine the outcome: cheap products for an intellectually undereducated audience. One can easily envision deceased movie or music stars continuing to exist in creations. The same goes for singers, musicians, and the list could go on indefinitely. In office jobs, practically everyone will be replaced by computers and automation. It’s not science fiction; it’s what will happen tomorrow, between now and 2035.
It is understandable, therefore, that the world of Hollywood is in turmoil. Imagine the highly populist Netflix having only creations generated by quantum computing. To experience real culture, one will have to pay a premium and spend ten times more to see real actors in real movies or TV series, as there will be fewer screenwriters, even fewer actors, directors, editors, etc. And the list goes on for almost every profession.
We are thus heading towards a two-tier society: those who are less educated will become the slaves of a technology-driven system, while a small portion of the population will have access to the very best.
These Hollywood strikes are more significant than they may seem because they might lead to regulations on the use of AI, which would be a prerequisite for attempting to preserve the originality of creation and jobs. Let us not view this action as an attempt to go against progress but rather as a realization that we all must have if we don’t want to disappear.
Thierry De Clemensat
Editor-in-chief Bayou Blue Radio – Bayou Blue News